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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23165284">The Stars Alight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyingMachine/pseuds/FlyingMachine'>FlyingMachine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Camping, F/M, Fluff, Forests, Kissing, Mantis Crew</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 12:48:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,674</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23165284</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FlyingMachine/pseuds/FlyingMachine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a rough landing on a forest planet, the Mantis crew goes camping. Cal and Merrin enjoy some time alone under the stars.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cal Kestis/Merrin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>152</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Stars Alight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The <i>Mantis</i> barely made it to the landing pad on Taeda. Cal had never heard Greez swear so much as he fought her busted coolant compressor all the way to the roughest landing Cal had ever experienced. </p><p>Behind him in the jumpseat, Merrin was still and pale as marble, clutching the sides of the seat with both hands. Cere was visibly rattled as she communicated with the tower, though her voice was calm and steady.</p><p>Cal fought down the panicked feelings of being trapped in a spacecraft that wobbled and jerked hard as Greez landed her with a lurch that felt like it would yank him out of his harness. BD-1 jumped onto his knee and Cal put his hand on the droid’s head.</p><p>Greez killed the engines and everyone sat very still. Cal could feel their collective anxiety pouring off in waves. His own pulse was racing, pounding unpleasantly in his ears.</p><p>“Well done, Greez,” Cere said. When Cal looked over, he saw how hard all four of Greez’s hands were trembling on the yoke.</p><p>“Not my best,” he said, giving Cal a shaky grin. Cal patted him on the shoulder.</p><p>“We’re all okay,” he said. He glanced at Merrin, who had relaxed a little. He wished he could reach over and squeeze her hand. </p><p>He became aware of a familiar smell that set off all of his mental alarms. He knew that scent well: the sweet, sharp reek of leaking coolant slowly filling the ship. He was already feeling a bit strange.</p><p>“Greez, do you smell that?” he asked. “Smells like--”</p><p>“Coolant leak,” Greez said, fumbling to unbuckle his harness. “Everybody out!”</p><p> </p><p>On the landing pad, Cal pulled in a deep lungful of fresh air and felt his head clear. He could still taste coolant at the back of his throat. Taeda had the densest forests Cal had ever seen. The public landing pad backed right up to woods so thick with tall, long-needled trees that it looked dark even at midday. Speeders shuttled visitors down to the small town below on the mountain, and rough trails led away in all directions. Their landing pad overlooked a deep ravine, and a green river snaked through the valley. </p><p>Greez opened one of the <i>Mantis’</i> access panels and pulled out a toolkit.  He rifled through it and took out an emergency respirator equipped with an oxygen supply.</p><p>“I’ll have to go back in and see what’s wrong with her,” he said. </p><p>“Need help?” Cal asked him.</p><p>“Thought you only knew how to take stuff apart?” Greez looked skeptical. BD-1 beeped argumentatively, and Cal appreciated the defense of his honor.</p><p>“You don’t work in a scrapyard for long before you become a mechanic too,” Cal said. Greez sighed.</p><p>“I guess so. I could use the help. But if you hurt her, I’m leaving you here.”</p><p>Cal nodded. “Fair enough.”</p><p>Greez looked at Merrin. “You’re not a mechanic by any chance?”</p><p>“I cannot cast a spell to heal your ship,” she said. </p><p>“Don’t worry, Greez. We can get whatever parts you need here,” Cere said. Cal saw Greez relax. He handed Cal a respirator. </p><p>“We’ll go in and have a look,” he said. </p><p> </p><p>Cal and Greez emerged from the <i>Mantis</i> a half hour later.</p><p>“What’s the damage?” Cere asked Greez.</p><p>“Just a busted coolant line. Cal and I got it patched up, but the ship needs to run the air scrubbers to get the coolant out of the ventilation system. We can’t be on board while that’s going on,” Greez said. </p><p>“I see,” Cere said. She looked around, taking in the dense forests and fading daylight.</p><p>“Why don’t we sleep outside tonight?” Merrin suggested. Greez crossed both sets of arms stubbornly.</p><p>“Absolutely not. I don’t sleep outside, and I definitely don’t sleep outside in the woods,” Greez said.</p><p>“Are you afraid of trees?” Merrin asked him.</p><p>“I’ve explained this before,” Greez said. “I could easily be eaten. And then who would chauffeur you all around the galaxy?”</p><p>“If you’re that worried, take one of those speeders down the mountain and find a hotel,” Cere said. Greez looked at the parked speeders, considering the winding, narrow mountain road down to what looked like a tiny village. Cal could tell he hated both of his options.</p><p>Cal thought the prospect of sleeping under the stars in a nearly untouched forest sounded very pleasant. He had camped out on training exercises with the clone troops, and remembered how peaceful it was to be out in the woods. </p><p>“We won’t let anything eat you, Greez. Have you ever camped out?” Cal asked him.</p><p>“No, and I don’t intend to start now,” Greez said.</p><p>“I think there’s some emergency gear on the ship,” Cere said. “We can unload it and set up camp.”</p><p>Merrin looked down at Greez. “I think you’ve been outvoted,” she said. </p><p> </p><p>A narrow trail led away from the landing pad into the woods. After a few hundred meters it opened into a clearing the right size for a campsite. Cal dropped his pack next to a fallen tree and took off his jacket. The others walked in behind him, fallen pine needles crunching under their boots.</p><p>Cal hadn’t brought a tent, only a sleeping bag and blanket, and some ready-to-eat rations from the ship. BD-1 jumped down from Cal’s shoulder and perched on his pack, looking around curiously. Merrin sat next to him on the tree.</p><p>Greez stood in the middle of the clearing and examined the trees. Cal thought he looked nervous. The enormous pine trees towered over his small frame.</p><p>“I don’t like this at all,” Greez said. </p><p>Cere was already setting up her tent. “This reminds me of when Eno Cordova and I used to go exploring,” she said, ignoring Greez. “Sometimes it took days to get to a site he wanted to research. Did you ever sleep outside on Dathomir?” she asked Merrin.</p><p>Merrin shook her head. “Not like this. Some houses had open courtyards. My sisters and I would sleep outside in the hot weather. Is this a Jedi ritual, camping?”</p><p>“I don’t think it’s unique to Jedi,” Cal said. He noticed she hadn’t brought a tent either. “Are you going to sleep out, too?”</p><p>“I thought I would try it, since you and Cere speak so highly of it,” she said. A little thrill of excitement ran through Cal at the thought of lying under the night sky next to Merrin. Maybe after Cere and Greez went to sleep, they could have some time alone.</p><p>Cere had moved on to helping Greez set up his tent. As far as Cal could tell, she was doing most of the work.</p><p>“We need a campfire,” Cal said. Merrin stood up beside him.</p><p>“I will build one.” She held out her hand to Cal. “Come, we need to find firewood.” Cal took her hand and let her pull him up. BD-1 beeped at him and Cal scooped him up and placed him on his shoulder.</p><p>“We’ll be back,” he called to Cere and Greez. </p><p>Cal made sure to stay within sight of their campsite as they gathered firewood. The woods were dense, and he realized how easy it would be to wander too far and not be able to find his way back. He walked past a large tree and nearly ran into Merrin, her arms full of firewood.</p><p>“This should be sufficient,” she said. They walked back to the campsite with plenty of tinder and kindling to make a fire. Merrin began clearing a circle on the ground, scraping it down to bare earth with her boot.</p><p>“Do you need help?” Cal asked her. She shook her head.</p><p>“I have done this many times.” </p><p>Cal sat back down by the fallen tree and stretched out his legs. He watched Merrin build the fire. She began with a small pile of tinder and kindling. She murmured a few words that Cal didn’t understand, and green flames flashed at her fingertips. She touched the glowing flames to the tinder and it caught. She blew gently on the flames, adding small pieces of kindling until she had a bright, crackling fire. Cal could feel the heat of it on his chest. When she was satisfied with it, she sat down next to him on the ground, her thigh brushing his.</p><p>“Where did you learn to do that?” Cal asked her.</p><p>“We used fire for many rituals on Dathomir,” she said. “It is an important part of our magick. You never built a campfire?”</p><p>“No. I haven’t slept outside since I was a kid. Even then, it was for training with the army, not for fun. You’ll have to teach me how to do it sometime.” </p><p>“Yes. You should know how to do this,” Merrin said. </p><p>She leaned into his side. It was not enough to be obvious, and Cal wished he could put his arm around her. Instead he enjoyed the contact, small as it was. They had grown close during their time on the <i>Mantis,</i> but Merrin was hard to read. Cal couldn’t tell if she had feelings for him, or simply enjoyed their close friendship after so long on her own. He struggled to articulate his feelings for her, uncertain if they would be reciprocated. He wished they could be more than friends, and he had never felt that way about anyone before. </p><p>Cere and Greez joined them by the fire. Greez seemed more relaxed, and Cal hoped he was enjoying himself at least a little. </p><p>“I don’t know about the rest of you, but I need some food,” Greez said. </p><p>“I’ve got you covered,” Cal said. Greez perked up noticeably at the prospect of a meal. Cal grabbed his pack and handed out the rations. They were Imperial ration packs, optimized for nutrition and not flavor. The grainy, strange texture only approximated real food.</p><p>“I never thought I’d say this, but I think I miss your cooking,” Cal said to Greez. Greez was picking at his own dinner.</p><p>“Me too, kid. No wonder the Empire’s so miserable, they’re all eating this garbage.”</p><p>“Next time we run into a blockade, you should offer to cook for them,” Cere said. "Maybe they would let us through."</p><p>“I wouldn’t waste good food on ‘em,” Greez said. </p><p>Cal finished his dinner and leaned back against the tree. He was tired and the rations were filling if not very satisfying. The sun was setting, the trees casting long shadows. </p><p>Cal could tell that his companions were tired by the complete lack of conversation around the fire. Even Greez was quiet. Everyone seemed content to stare into the flames, alone with their thoughts. The sounds of the woods surrounded them: the creak of the trees, the scurry of small animals, the pop and crackle of the campfire. Cal could hear the rush of the river in the gorge below them.</p><p>The shadows grew longer and Cal had forgotten how quickly it got dark once the sun went down. Cere got to her feet.</p><p>“You should all get some rest,” she said. Greez looked at his tent apprehensively. </p><p>“If you hear screams in the night, I wanna see lightsabers,” he said, looking from Cere to Cal. </p><p>“You’ll be just fine,” Cere said as she ducked inside her tent. Greez got up and shuffled to his own tent.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. “Easy to say when you’re a Jedi.”</p><p>“Goodnight Greez,” Cal called after him. </p><p>“Are you going to sleep, too?” he asked Merrin. She got up and unrolled her sleeping bag next to the fire. It had burned down considerably but still glowed with heat. She raked a stick through the coals, spreading them out to let them die.</p><p>“Yes. Good night.” She lay down and pulled her blanket up, turned away from him. Cal looked at BD-1.</p><p>“You should power down, BD,” he said. BD-1 warbled softly, reluctant to leave Cal even for a little while. “We’ll be fine. If anything happens, I’ll wake you up,” Cal reassured him. BD-1 whined, but his running lights dimmed as he put himself in power conservation mode.</p><p>Cal lay down on his own sleeping bag. It wasn’t cold enough to get inside, and he pulled his blanket over himself instead. He watched the fire as it burned low, blue flames licking over the glowing embers. Across from him, he could just make out Merrin’s slim form.</p><p>He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. The forest-noises were loud and unfamiliar in the quiet darkness. He was also aware of Merrin, close enough to him that he could have reached out and touched her if he held out his hand. </p><p>Cal had dozed off when something touched his shoulder. He woke with a start, reaching for his lightsaber.</p><p>“Shh,” Merrin said, laying a finger over his mouth. Cal blinked until she came into focus, sitting beside him. Her hair hung loose around her face, pale in the dull firelight. </p><p>“Hi,” he said quietly. </p><p>“Move over,” she said, lifting his blanket and sliding under it beside him. Cal made room for her on the sleeping bag.</p><p>“I wanted to wait until the others were asleep,” she whispered. </p><p>“Oh,” Cal said, not sure how to respond. “Well, I’m glad you did.” He couldn’t see anything but the shadow of her profile, but he knew she was smiling. He enjoyed the closeness of lying next to her in the dark. They touched at shoulder and hip, and she was warm all along his side. </p><p>“Are you cold?” he asked. The air was cool but comfortable, especially with Merrin next to him under the blanket. Merrin tucked herself against his side and rested her hand on his chest, her head on his shoulder. </p><p>“No,” she said, the word stirring the hair at his temple. Cal smiled to himself. </p><p>“Me either,” he said. She was absently rubbing her thumb along his side just above his hip, her touch pleasant through the thin fabric of his shirt. He wrapped his arm around her, resting his hand on her side. He felt the rise and fall of her ribs under the soft material of her tunic. </p><p>He felt like he needed to say something, find out where they stood. Clearly she must have had some reason to climb under his blanket with him. He ran a dozen phrases through his mind, and nothing seemed right. He wasn’t used to telling people how he felt.</p><p>“It’s so clear, isn’t it?” she asked him, interrupting his thoughts. </p><p>Above the trees, Taeda's twin moons shone brightly. He didn’t think he had ever seen so many stars except in deep space. The sky looked enormous, and Cal felt very small. Occasionally, a star seemed to fall to earth in a streak of light. The longer Cal watched, the more falling stars he noticed. </p><p>“I think that’s a meteor shower,” he said.</p><p>“It’s beautiful.” Her lips brushed his neck as he spoke, sending a shiver through him. Cal turned his head to look at her, and she tipped her chin up and kissed him, pressing her mouth gently to his.</p><p>Cal held absolutely still for the space of several heartbeats, too surprised to move. Then something unlocked inside him. He kissed her deeply, taking his time.</p><p>“Is this okay?” he asked, pulling away from her mouth just enough to speak. She raised her hand to cup his cheek, her thumb stroking his cheekbone. Her eyes glittered in the dying firelight, and Cal wished he could see her face more clearly. </p><p>“Yes,” she said. Merrin drew him close and kissed him again, stopping only to sit up and pull her shirt over her head. Cal leaned up and removed his own shirt without hesitation, and she pressed him back to the ground. His skin prickled with goosebumps in the night air. Merrin’s skin was smooth and cool everywhere he touched her, pressed against him from shoulder to hip. </p><p>Cal looked up at the incredible sky as he kissed her, and they moved together under the stars.</p>
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